Abstract: A printing head module including a body, a feeding roller assembly and a feeding sensor is provided. The body includes a material-supplying channel and a nozzle connected to the material-supplying channel. The feeding roller assembly is disposed at the material-supplying channel to transmit the modeling material to the nozzle. The feeding sensor is disposed at the feeding roller assembly to detect whether the feeding roller assembly rotates. The feeding sensor is coupled to a control unit, such that the control unit generates a notice according to a detection result of the feeding sensor.

Abstract: Provided is a tape cartridge that prevents a print tape from becoming wrinkled while preventing the tip end of a tape-shaped member from getting in a cartridge case, or the like. The tape cartridge has a cartridge case, a label tape 101 accommodated in the cartridge case so as to be capable of being paid out, a platen roller 103 that is rotatably accommodated in the cartridge case so as to be brought into rolling-contact with the side of the release tape of the label tape 101 and moves within a prescribed range in a tape feed direction as the label tape 101 is fed out and drawn, and a drawing prevention portion 138 that contacts the side of the print tape of the label tape 101 and holds the label tape 101 between the drawing prevention portion 138 and a platen roller 103 when the platen roller moves to an upstream side in the tape feed direction as the label tape 101 is drawn, wherein the drawing prevention portion 138 does not contact one side in the tape width direction of the label tape 101.

Abstract: An image forming system includes a plurality of image forming apparatuses connected in series along a paper conveying direction. An image forming apparatus provided upstream in the conveying direction among the apparatuses prints one side of a sheet of paper and an image forming apparatus provided downstream prints the other side of the paper. Each of the upstream and downstream image forming apparatuses includes: an image forming unit; a storage unit; and a control unit to send a first information on a paper feed tray of the own image forming apparatus to the other image forming apparatus, receive a second information on a paper feed tray of the other image forming apparatus from the other image forming apparatus, make the storage unit store the first and second information, and make the image forming unit perform image formation based on the first and second information stored in the storage unit.

Abstract: Methods and control systems are provided for operating a thermal printer adapted to print images by heating and transferring donor material from donor patch sets from onto a receiver medium, the printer being operable to print images in a manner that exhausts a full donor patch set or a fractional donor patch set during printing. The control system comprises a controller for identifying one of the donor patch sets on the web as a fractional donor patch set having sufficient donor material remaining to print an image. The controller is further adapted to determine that the fractional donor patch set is not to be used for printing when the identified fractional donor patch set has been used to print an image wherein at least a minimum area of at least one donor patch has been heated to a level above a threshold level.

Abstract: A ribbon sensor includes a first and second emitter and a receiver. The first emitter is configured to transmit a yellow light signal and the second emitter is configured to transmit a blue light signal. The receiver is configured to produce an output signal in response to the transmission of the yellow and blue light signals through a panel of a print ribbon, wherein the output signal is indicative of a color of the panel. Additional aspects of the present invention are directed to a printer that includes the above-described sensor and a method of using the sensor to identify colored ribbon panels.

Abstract: A method includes distributing grayscales of dye blocks in each of a plurality of color blocks to be printed as an image on a medium according to grayscales of the image to be printed on the medium and a predetermined printing rule, transferring the dyes of the dye blocks in the plurality of color blocks to the medium to generate the image according to the distribution, and transferring dyes of an overcoating block in the last color block of the plurality of color blocks to the medium.

Abstract: A transaction-based printer has a sheet drive for forwarding a sheet through a printing station to a cutting station where the sheet is severed from a spool by a rotary cutter. A kicker element is mounted in the cutting station. Movement of the kicker element is coordinated through the cutter drive with that of the rotary cutter so that the severed sheet is kicked into a bin located in the top cover of the printer. The printer can be, for example, an ink-jet, dot matrix, dye sublimation or thermal printer used to print tickets, vouchers, coupons or the like.

Abstract: A method of forming authenticated secure images on image areas on labels including the steps of storing in memory a number of different selectable label size and shapes; selecting an appropriate label size and shape from the memory for a particular image; moving a colorant donor element having a plurality of transferable colorants into transferable relationship with a receiver, the colorant donor element includes a representation of the particular image and marks which authenticate the particular image having colorant over such representation and marks; transferring colorants onto the receiver in accordance with the representation of the particular image and marks in the colorant donor element and the size of the selected label to form authenticated images in the receiver; and cutting the images on the receiver into the selected shape to form a plurality of labels each having an authenticated image.

Abstract: A color printer with a single photo sensor for detecting the position of the ink ribbon. A single photo sensor is place so that it can detect transparent and opaque sections of the ink ribbon. The ribbon winds at a constant speed, so the pattern of transparent and opaque sections periodically repeats. The controller can use the periodicity of the transparent and opaque sections to calculate which dye frame the print head is positioned over. Using this information, the printer can advance the ink ribbon to the desired dye frame for printing onto the photo paper.

Abstract: An image-forming substrate has a sheet of paper, and a layer of microcapsules coated over the paper sheet. The microcapsule layer contains at least one type of microcapsules filled with a liquid dye, and a shell wall of each of the microcapsules is composed of resin that exhibits a temperature/pressure characteristic such that, when each of the microcapsules is squashed under a predetermined pressure at a predetermined temperature, the liquid dye seeps from the squashed microcapsule.

Abstract: A printing apparatus for printing a recording medium includes a recording medium transport device for transporting the recording medium from a supply portion along a transport path; a first printing device arranged on the transport path for forming an image on the recording medium or an intermediate transfer medium through a thermal transfer film; a thermal transfer film transport device for transporting the thermal transfer film; a second printing device arranged on the transport path for transferring the image to the recording medium; and an intermediate transfer medium transport device for moving the intermediate transfer medium back and forth relative to the second printing means. A control device controls the printing apparatus so that the second printing device prints at the same time the thermal transfer film is being transported for the first printing device to print the thermal transfer film.

Abstract: A color printer with a single photo sensor for detecting the position of the ink ribbon. A single photo sensor is place so that it can detect transparent and opaque sections of the ink ribbon. The ribbon winds at a constant speed, so the pattern of transparent and opaque sections periodically repeats. The controller can use the periodicity of the transparent and opaque sections to calculate which dye frame the print head is positioned over. Using this information, the printer can advance the ink ribbon to the desired dye frame for printing onto the photo paper.

Abstract: In an image-forming system, an image-forming substrate is used that includes a paper sheet, and a microcapsule layer, coated over the paper sheet, which contains at least one type of microcapsule filled with a dye. Each microcapsule exhibits a characteristic such that, when a microcapsule is compacted under a given pressure at a given temperature, the dye seeps from the compacted microcapsule. A pressure/temperature applicator includes a roller platen, a thermal head having at least one arcuate bimetal element associated with the platen such that the substrate can be interposed between the platen and the thermal head, and an electrical energization system that electrically heats the arcuate bimetal element in accordance with image-information data.